Kailway-crossibtor signal



Y. McKINZIE RAILWAY CROSSING SIGNAL.

APPLICATION FILED HAVE, 191].

Patented Oct. 5, 1920.

movable parts, including YODER MOKINZIE, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

RAILWAY-CROSSING SIGNAL.

Application filed May 31,

1 '0 all of whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Yoonn MoKnNzIn, a citizen of the United States, residin in Louisville, Jefferson county, Kentucky, ave invented new and useful Improvements in BailwayUrossing Signals, of which the following is a. full and complete specification.

Figure l is a po spective view of one form of my invention, the end of the gate not being shown, nor certain portions of the signal-post. the signal post, Fig. 3 showing details of the contacts forthe operation oi the signal bell, and Fig.4 showsanother form of aplicants device than the preferred form first illustrated.

Similar letters and figures refer to similar arts throughout the several views.

y invention relates to signals designed to safeguard the public, especially at places where street traflic cross a railway track at grade, and capable of )Blllg used in connection with crossing gate structures. It is usual at such points for the railroad to provide erossin -gate structures having a movable gate or gates, designed to be out of the way of trafiic when in one position, and in other positions to act as a bar to traffic. When a train is approaching or passing, the gate is kept in the position of a. crossing bar. Such gates are made in many forms, one of which only is illustrated here, although applicants .evice is adaptable to all. ln these structures the gate mechanism is operated by some external force, usually controlled by a watchman. While such watchmen are usually attentive, they are not infallible, and through misehance or human imperfection sometimes fail to loner the gates when needed. When this occurs serious accidents freguently result, because those using the crossing grow to rely on the operation of the gates, and because the persons operating 'locomotives rely on the bar being in place.

To avoid such accidents, and to provide an attachment to already installed crossing gate structures which can be attached without any extensive changes, and to attain other desirable purposes hereinafter set out, up licants device is provided.

n the preferred form illustrated in Fig. l, the crossing-gate D is carried by the standard E the means of o era 1: the gate .D not being shown. los 1: the

Specification of Letters Patent.

Fig. 2 is a view of a. part of post L.

' J Patented v01 5, 1920.

1917. Serial No. 172,071.

standard E, is placed a support F and nearby, in suitable position, a vertical post L is mounted so as to be rotatable, in a support G, provided with a socket Hand a guide M, supported by a brace K. The form illustrated in Fig. 1 is useful and preferred but my invention is not confined to these particular features as here worked out. Near the top of the postL is attached a semaphore arm L, here rigidly attached to the post L, and extending horizontally;

so that a partial rotation of the post L results in a corres onding orientation of the semaphore L,. be post L is also provided with a semaphore lantern P, showing on opposite sides light of a color understood as a blocking signal and on the intermediate sides, light of some color convcntionally used to indicate that passage is clear, this lantern being ado ted to rotate as the post rotates. A bell is also pro vided, referably adapted to be operated by an e ectric current, and an apparatus is provided whereby the continuity of the electric circuit, and hence the sound produced thereby, is dependent on the position of the A contact piece S, is attached to the post L and in electrical contact with.

the metal post L, to which one of the terminals Z of the bell R is attached. A wire indicated by V leads from the other bell terminal (a source of current being inter-- posed) to the contact piece W, having a part adapted to close the circuit when in contact with the contact piece S. While the post L is in such a position that the contact piece W is in contact with the flanges of the contact pieces S the bell will continue to ring, and when the circuit is broken by the contact piece S being turned so that its flanges are no longer in contact with the contact piece W, the bell ceases accomplished, as illustrated in Fig. l, by.

means of a bell crank A which is pivoted at X to the support F. A link B connects one arm of the bell crank A, with the crossing gate D, being attached by means of the part C so that motion of the crossing gate D acbelLcr-ank A is connected with the link J,

' the operation of the latter.

which in turn is connected with an arm I rigidly attached to the post L. By means of this system, motion of the crossing gate D is transmitted to the post L, so as to cause partial rotation of the same, towit, a onequarter rotation. The apparatus is adjusted so that when the gate is in such position as' to act as a bar to tratlic, the semaphore arm L is parallel to the direction of the railway track, and pcrpelnlicular to the direction taken by vehicles in crossing and the safety lights show up and down the track.

As the gate is changed in position, the post L and its sernapl'iore ll, change position, until, when the gate fully out of the way of traflic, and at its ultimate position, out of the way, the semaphore L, is perpendicm lar to the tracks, standing as a warning to the locomotive driver not to proceed, and the blocking-color signal is visible up and down the track. The contact mechanism ot the bell R is adjusted so that, in the case of a pivoted crossing gate of the type shown, the bell R begins to ring as the gate commences to descend, and continues to ring until the gate is returned to the same position. The use of my invention not limited. to a position for the attachment, close to the gate structure; on the contrary, the signal support or signal apparatus may be set up at a distance along the track, so as to be of service at other crossings, or to give earlier notice to engineers.

My invention is not confined to the particular embodiment here illustrated, but the novel ideas may be applied in a variety of NE 7S.

t will be seen that the operation of tlie gate, when the apparatus is connected up, will operate the signals so that the engineer of an approaching train will know that the gate is barring trullic and it is safe to roceed. 0n the other hand, if the gate fai s to work, either by reason of bein out of order or by reason of the default of t e tender, the

engineer is warned by the signal that unusual conditions prevail and require unusual caution. It will be noticed that except for the connections by which the movement of the gate is made to operate the signal. the crossinggate apparatus and the signal apparatus are. not necessarily dependent, and the signal apparatus, and the means where by it 15 operated, may be detached from the crossing gate apparatus without impairing Furthermore, the signal apparatus, being (in an independ out so port from the crossing gate apparatus, 1s detmihable, and operable by hand,

even should the gate fail to work. The preferable heightatwhich the semaphore arm should be maintained is such a height as. 66 to be approximately on a level with the eyes of the engineer driving the locomotives, that is, about twelve feet high, and the semaphore lantern should preferably be about the same height. i i ,{I

ll y device operates not only as a. warning to the engineer, but also serves'to indicate to the traveling public making use of the crossing, whether or not the gates are downor up, or beginning to go down. Thus, as 1!! stated, the bell signalis referably set so' as to begin to ring when t ie gate begins to descend, thus warning drivers of vehicles, even before the gate is in position actually to bar tratl'ic, that the gates are descending. This operates to prevent breaking of the gates, or inclosing traffic between the gates. The visible signals also serve to make it pos sible for drivers of vehicles to know long before they reach the railroad, whether the 86 gates are down or up.

I am aware that a combined gate and signal has been heretofore invented, but my device is an improvement in many Ways over any heretofore made. The facility with ll'l) which the signal and gate apparatus maybe separated, the fact that my device depends for its motion not on any automatic action, but on the movement of the gate itself, make it a peculiarly reliable indicator of condilions. When gates and signal are part of i the same closely related structure, the failure of one to operate usually makes the whole system unreliable, but in my device, the failure of the crossing gate apparatus to function leaves the signal apparatus still intact, and capable of separate operation. My signal device, unlike others, provides an attachment for use with crossing gates of ordinary types, now installed, without substantial change, and is adapted to be used when bulky counter weights are. employed to balance the gate.

Fig. 4, as stated, shows another form of applicants device than the preferred form hitherto described in detail, and illustrated in Fig. 1. The form illustrated in Fig. 4 utilizes a gear wheel 1 (it is not essential to have a complete wheel) having its axis coincident with the axis of the pivot of the 116"- pivoted gate. and so attached as to turn with the gate. The gear-Wheel 2 is attached to.

the signal post I), and turns with it, the axes being coincident.

I claim as new and desire to Letters Patent the following:

1. ,In combination with a pivotally mounted railway crossing ggte, a support adjacent the gate having a soc et therein, a vertically extending brace formed on' the support and provided with a guide in alinement with the socket, a rotatab e post extending throu h the guide with itslowier end received in t e socket, signaling elements carried by the post, and means-connecting the gate and protect by post where!) the post is rotated on the operation of t e gate.

2. In combination with a pivotally mounted railway crossing gate, a horizontal support adjacent the gate and having a socket thu'ein, a verticall extending brace formed on the horizonta support and provided with a guide in alinement with the socket, a rotatable post extending through the guide with its lower end received in the socket, an arm secured to the post and extending at ri ht angles thereto, a vertical su port on the horizontal support, a bell crank ever pivotally connected to the vertical support, means connecting the bell 'crank lever and ate and bell crank lever and the arm on t e post whereby the post will be rotated on the operation of the gate, and signaling elements carried by the rotatable support.

YODER MoKINZIE. 

